The other day I went out to feed our livestock guardian dogs.
It is a pretty ordinary part of my day. Feed the dogs, walk through the barn, and check the stalls and gates.
Most days, there isn't anything to find.
In fact, 99 times out of 100, everything is exactly as it should be.
The gates are closed. The latches are secure. The animals are where they belong.
It would be easy to start thinking, Why bother checking?
But that day reminded me why.
As I walked through the barn, I noticed that one of the stall gates had been left unlatched. Our hired hand had simply made a mistake. The gate had swung partially open.
Nothing terrible had happened.
No animal was hurt.
Nothing had escaped.
But the potential was there.
And standing there looking at that open gate, I thought about something much bigger:
The animals in that barn rely on me to check.
They don't understand whether the latch is properly secured. They don't know all the dangers that might be waiting on the other side of a gate. They don't know what I know about the farm.
They simply trust that someone is watching over them.
And suddenly I thought about the words of Jesus in John 10.
“I Am the Good Shepherd”
Jesus said:
“I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine.” John 10:14
There is an enormous difference between someone who merely owns livestock and a shepherd.
A shepherd pays attention.
A shepherd notices.
A shepherd checks the gate.
Jesus contrasts the shepherd with a hired hand. When danger comes, the hired hand runs because the sheep aren't his.
But Jesus says:
“The good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep.” John 10:11
The Shepherd stays because the sheep belong to Him.
That changes everything.
The Sheep May Never Know
What struck me most that evening was that the animals probably had no idea anything was wrong.
They didn't come running to tell me:
"Hey, somebody forgot to latch the gate."
They didn't even understand the danger.
I saw something they couldn't see.
How many times might that be true in our own lives?
We tend to recognize God's protection when something dramatic happens.
The accident we narrowly avoided.
The diagnosis that came back negative.
The financial provision that arrived at exactly the right time.
But what about all the things we never saw?
What about the gate God closed before we ever realized it was open?
What about the road He redirected us from?
The relationship that didn't happen?
The opportunity that disappeared?
The temptation He helped us avoid?
The danger we never knew existed?
Perhaps some of God's greatest acts of protection are the ones we'll never know happened.
Ninety-Nine Times Out of a Hundred
I could stop checking those stalls.
After all, almost every time I walk through the barn, everything is fine.
But that's exactly why checking requires faithfulness.
Faithfulness isn't doing something only when there is a problem. Faithfulness is doing it because someone has been entrusted to your care.
That is one of the beautiful truths contained in the picture Jesus gives us of Himself.
God doesn't grow careless because yesterday was uneventful.
He doesn't become distracted.
He doesn't forget that we belong to Him.
The Good Shepherd is faithful.
Psalm 121 tells us:
“He that keepeth thee will not slumber.”
Think about that.
While we sleep, the Shepherd is still watching.
While we go about our lives completely unaware of what might be around us, the Shepherd is still watching.
And when a gate is open that shouldn't be, the Shepherd sees it.
We Are Still Sheep
There is also a humbling side to Jesus' analogy.
We like to believe we understand exactly where we're going.
We make plans.
We calculate.
We decide which direction seems best.
But sheep don't have the shepherd's perspective.
Sometimes we stand at an opening thinking,
That looks like freedom.
While the Shepherd knows there is danger on the other side.
And sometimes God closes a gate we desperately wanted to walk through.
We become frustrated.
We pray for Him to reopen it.
We wonder why He isn't listening.
Maybe sometimes the answer is much simpler:
The Shepherd sees something the sheep cannot.
He Knows His Sheep
Jesus makes another remarkable statement in John 10:
“My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.” John 10:27
Notice how personal that is.
Not:
I know about the flock.
But:
“I know them.”
The Good Shepherd knows every sheep entrusted to Him.
He knows where we wander.
He knows where we're vulnerable.
He knows what frightens us.
He knows the gates that need to remain closed.
And ultimately, Jesus did something infinitely greater than checking a barn stall.
He laid down His life for His sheep.
The Shepherd didn't merely stand outside the danger and shout instructions.
He entered our world and gave Himself to rescue us.
That is why Jesus can say:
“I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.” John 10:28
A Lesson From an Unlatched Gate
That evening, I simply closed the gate and secured the latch.
The animals went on with their day.
They probably never knew anything had happened.
But I walked away with a reminder.
There is a reason I check those stalls every day.
They have been entrusted to my care.
And there is tremendous comfort in knowing that I have also been entrusted to Someone's care.
A Shepherd far more faithful than I could ever be.
A Shepherd who never gets distracted.
A Shepherd who never forgets to check the gate.
A Shepherd who sees dangers I cannot see.
A Shepherd who knows me by name.
And a Shepherd who loved His sheep enough to lay down His life for them.
So when God closes a gate in front of me, perhaps my first response shouldn't always be:
“God, why won't You let me through?”
Maybe sometimes it should simply be:
“Thank You, Shepherd. You must see something I don't.”